


Nancy Drew and the Hogwarts Revenant

by papenniesandbentoboxes (Doughnut_Holschtein)



Category: Nancy Drew (Video Games)
Genre: Alec and Zoe is more of a Brotp, Alexei is the best, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Ethel Bossiny hasn't changed at all, Gen, Henry is happy, Linda Penvellyn is actually a werewolf in this one, Murder, Revenant, a LOT of minor ships, a lot of otps and brotps, cathedral, we've got murder
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-12
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:14:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26430991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Doughnut_Holschtein/pseuds/papenniesandbentoboxes
Summary: It's her sixth year at Hogwarts and Nancy is determined to make sure she gets through her N.E.W.T.-level classes with the least amount of pain possible. Throughout the year, she discovers that to be difficult, with all sorts of events, including drama, secret agents, romance, and murder.Nancy finds a letter containing strange details about her mother's work, Deirdre is suspicious of some of her fellow Slytherins, and then a murder takes place in their school. The whole crew teams up to solve the mystery of the Hogwarts Revenant.
Relationships: Alec Fell & Zoe Wolfe, Alejandro del Rio/Joanna Riggs, Henry Bolet Jr./Original Female Character(s), Joe Hardy/Bess Marvin, Mason Quinto/Ellie York, Nancy Drew/Frank Hardy, Xenia Doukas/Thanos Ganas
Kudos: 5





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi! I'd just like to let you know that it's gonna be slow at first, but pick up speed quickly. :)

Nancy squeezed the sleeves of her woolen sweater in her hands as her mother took her carpetbag and mounted her broom. With a small look toward Nancy, she took off, flying past the trees and the clouds. Nancy couldn’t tell how far she had flown. Very far, at least. 

It was very cold out. The wind bit at her pink cheeks as it swept her red hair around.

“Nancy!” Cried her father from inside the house.

She turned around to look at him. His eyes were red and teary. Kneeling down to her, he took her hands in his and said, “Nancy, I thought I told you to stay inside the house.”

“You did.” Her blunt reply didn’t surprise him from his lack of response. “I just wanted to see Mom go.”

Carson Drew looked down and wiped his sleeve across his face, sniffing. “I know, Nancy,” he said, “I know.”

After a moment, he looked up and got to his feet, holding out a hand to her. She took it and smiled up to him. It wasn’t a happy smile. It couldn’t be a happy smile when her dad was so sad. She didn’t even know why he was sad.

“Dad?”

“Yeah?”

“When will Mom be back?”

He sighed and seemed lost as he walked with her in silence.

“I don’t know, sweetie,” he said after a few more steps. “I don’t know.”

The piano didn’t sound as well when Nancy played it. She’d been practicing all that year, ever since they got the letter from the Ministry. She wanted to learn it in honor of her mother. It was her goal to keep her distracted till she got her Hogwarts letter. She wasn’t too excited for that, but then again, she wasn’t too excited for anything these days.

Of course, then her father walked into the living room, envelope in his hand.

“Look what just arrived for you!”

Nancy took her hands off the keys and turned to him. As she took the letter, her Hogwarts acceptance letter, she did feel a certain joy returning to her. She took a few minutes to read through it, and then handed it back to her father.

“So, when do we go to get my supplies?” She asked, closing her piano book.

Carson smiled. “I’ve planned a shopping day with you, Bess, and George.”

Her eyes lit up and she was sure now that she did feel joy. Anticipation. Excitement. It had been a while since she’d felt like that about something. 

As her father went back to the kitchen, probably to send and owl to the others’ parents, Nancy turned back to the piano and rested her fingers on the keys. She couldn’t play though. Her mind was too focused on Hogwarts.

King’s Cross station was busy. Every once in a while, a family would rush into the station and through to Platform 9 ¾. Nancy and Carson were one of those families.

As she looked around at the others, parents leaning down to their eleven-year-old children and fixing their collars and robes, she felt a small part of her grow sad. She missed her mother. When she was little and dreaming of Hogwarts, she always thought her mother would be there to see her off. But she wasn’t.

“Are you always, kiddo?” Asked her father, looking down at her.

She sighed. “Yeah. Fine.”

As her luggage was loaded into the train, she heard a shrill voice call her name.

“Nancy!” 

Bess Marvin tackled her with a warm hug and a big smile. Behind her, George, her cousin, was smiling, holding a knapsack over her shoulder. Nancy hugged Bess back.

“We’re going to school, Nancy!” Said Bess, jumping up and down. “I can’t wait to make friends and have fun!”

“Bess,” said George, calmly, “I’m pretty sure school isn’t just making friends and having fun.”

She huffed and crossed her arms. “Well, it should be.”

Within the next five minutes, all three girls were boarding the train and waving goodbye to their families. The train pulled out of the station with a million arms sticking out the windows, waving goodbye to their loved ones for the first time ever.

Bess and George stayed there longer than Nancy. As soon as she could, she pulled back from the crowd and into the halls of the train cars. It was time to explore.

Unfortunately, there wasn’t much to actually explore. After all, it was a  _ train _ . Not much room for exploring. Unless somehow there were secret compartments and contraptions, but she doubted the Hogwarts Express would have those.

She ran her fingers along the outside of the compartments, humming to herself. The wallpaper was a pleasant beige color with faint patterns. It ran along the entire wall in all the cars. Every once in a while, she’d sneak a glance at the people in the compartments, but then they’d see her and she’d continue on her way.

“Pst! Nancy!” 

She turned toward the direction of the voice to see George peeking her head out of a nearby compartment. The other girl motioned for Nancy to come over, so she followed. When she reached George, she asked, “What is it?”

Inside the compartment, Bess was sitting across from a dark-haired boy their age. 

The blonde girl shrugged. “We figured you might want to maybe sit down for the incredibly long train ride to Hogwarts. Besides,” she gestured to the boy in front of her, “we’ve made a new friend!”

The boy looked at Nancy and smiled, just barely. He was shy, maybe a bit awkward, maybe both. It was hard to tell with just a smile. Walking into the compartment and holding out her hand, she said, “I’m Nancy. Nancy Drew.”

He took it. “Frank Hardy.”

Frank. That was a name she never thought she’d hear in this modern era. The last time she heard someone named Frank was when she was rereading old articles of the Daily Prophet and some old guy had died. 

Sitting down, she asked Frank, “So, what house do you think you’re going to be in?”

He blinked and furrowed his brow. “What do you mean?”

“What house do you think you’ll be sorted into?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. The sorting hat has its own way of sorting. And it knows us better than we know ourselves. And, if I’m guessing right, everyone has a different view of everyone else, so it’s impossible to truly sort yourself in the right house with only your opinion.” Straightening the book on the seat next to him, he said, “Seems awfully close-minded to look at it in only one perspective.”

“Ravenclaw,” said Nancy, nodding assuredly. “You’ll definitely be in Ravenclaw.”

He smiled to himself. “What about you? Where do you see yourself?”

It took Nancy a few moments. All her life, she had thought maybe she’d be in the same house as her mother; she’d be a Gryffindor. Or maybe she’d be in the same house as her father, Ravenclaw. But now that Frank had told her his philosophy on the sorting, it had her thinking.

“Hmm.” She tapped her lips as she looked up. “I think I’m a Gryffindor.”

George snorted. “You couldn’t be any other house.”

“Yes, I could!” Nancy rolled her eyes. “I could totally be Slytherin or Ravenclaw!”

“But not Hufflepuff,” said Bess. “Remember when we played Capture the Flag with the other kids in the neighborhood and you became the double agent?”

She widened her eyes. “Guess I forgot that.”

“Well, I’m definitely Hufflepuff,” added Bess, twirling her blonde hair. “And I’m pretty sure George is Gryffindor too.”

The brown-haired girl shrugged. “What can I say? I love excitement.”

“Belmont, Cecilia,” called Professor Ethel Bossiny, head of Slytherin house. As the young girl with blue hair and a baggy uniform walked toward the stool, Nancy paid attention to the professor. She had long red hair, more vibrant than Nancy’s, pulled into a tight ponytail. In terms of looks, she was practically flawless. And she had an intimidating air about her. No wonder she was Slytherin.

“ _ HUFFLEPUFF! _ ” Cried out the sorting hat.

The Hufflepuff table clapped loudly for their newcomer. The girl hopped off the stool and practically ran to the table, hair bouncing with every stride.

“Birchfield, Colton.”

Nancy looked to Bess, who was biting her lip. The girl had a problem with nerves. She was a social butterfly and completely content in big crowds, but being put on the spot was a bit much for her still. Luckily for her, M names were down the line a bit more.

“ _ RAVENCLAW! _ ”

The blond boy smiled to himself as a girl from the crowd of first years whooped for him. As the Ravenclaw table applauded him, he sat down. A girl with a blue headscarf gave him a high five.

“Bolet, Henry.”

A timid looking boy with messy black hair sat down at the stool, hands in his pockets and eyes to the ground. Almost immediately, the sorting hat shouted, “ _ HUFFLEPUFF! _ ”

The next two names went by quickly-- Mel Corbalis, Ravenclaw, and Emily Crandall, Hufflepuff-- and then her name was called.

“Drew, Nancy.”

Taking a deep breath, she walked up the steps to the stool and hat with confidence. As she sat down, Professor Bossiny put the hat on her head.

“ _ Hmmm… Very interesting _ ,” it mused. “ _ Incredibly brave… yet a desire for knowledge… and ambition of great quantity… Yes, very interesting. Better be… GRYFFINDOR!” _

Nancy held her head high as she walked over to the Gryffindor table. She was happy with her sorting. Her mother would have been happy too. She couldn’t wait to tell her father.

As she sat down at the table next to a second year, he held out his hand.

“Hi! Welcome to Gryffindor! I’m Nick. Nick Falcone.”

She shook his hand and smiled. “Nancy! But you already know that.”

He shrugged. “Eh. No biggie.”

Beside him was another second year, a taller boy with messy brown hair. 

“Aye, you’ll love it here,” he said in a thick Scottish accent. “I’m Alec, by the way. I’m hoping to be on the quidditch team this year. What about you? D’you like quidditch?”

“Not especially, but it’s fun to watch.”

He laughed. “Aye, I used tae watch it wae my mum, but she’s not around anymore sae I want tae play it fae her.”

It was hard to understand his words, but she was able to piece it together.

“You lost your mother?” She asked. 

“Aye. S’just my sister an’ me now. Dad died a while ago.”

She nodded. “I lost my mom a few years back too.”

After a moment’s pause, a girl in front of Alec groaned. “Enough with the depressing topics! I’m sick of that stuff. Let’s talk fun things!” She leaned her elbows on the table and smiled at Nancy. “Hi! I’m Yumi! I’m most likely the most fashionable girl to ever be in Gryffindor. Just look at my uniform!” She stood up and twirled around. She had redesigned her uniform to have white and pink embroidery on the edges of her shirt and little gold bows along the bottom of her skirt. “Isn’t it just so cute?”

Nancy nodded. Even though it wasn’t her cup of tea, she had to admit, Yumi had style.

“Fayne, Georgia.” 

She flipped her head around to watch her friend get sorted. Even though she cringed a bit at her full name, George’s walk was as confident as ever as she stepped up to the hat.

“Do you know her?” Asked Nick.

She nodded. “Yeah. She’ll probably be in Gryffindor!”

“Nice!”

After about two minutes, the sorting hat screamed, “ _ RAVENCLAW! _ ”

Nancy widened her eyes. Ravenclaw? But George had always been such a daredevil. What happened to “daring nerve and chivalry sets Gryffindor apart”? But then again, George  _ was _ always good in her classes.

“Och.” Alec leaned on the table. “Shame.”

She nodded. “Yeah. Didn’t expect that.”

He shrugged. “My sister was in Hufflepuff. She was always as reckless an’ brave as me, but she was sorted intae Hufflepuff. I guess you cannae predict it sometimes.”

“Guess not.”

Professor Bossiny cleared her throat. “Hardy, Franklin.”

The dark-haired boy studied the hat as he went up the stairs. It took a few minutes, but then it cried out, “ _ RAVENCLAW! _ ”

She smirked to herself. She knew he’d be in Ravenclaw. No normal eleven-year-old talked the way he did.

“You know him too?” Asked Nick.

“Not really. I just met him on the train.”

The next name came, and the next. Twin girls. One was sorted into Ravenclaw, the other into Gryffindor. The new girl sat next to Nancy, a lock of hair falling in her face.

“Hi, Rachel!” Said Nick. “Welcome to Gryffindor!”

Nancy chuckled to herself. He must’ve been planning to say that to all the new students. He was incredibly enthusiastic.

The girl folded her hands together in her lap. She must be a bit shy. “Hi!”

“You look nervous,” said a Gryffindor girl next to Yumi. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yeah, I just… I’ve never been seperated from my sister before.”

The girl nodded. “That’s understandable. I’m Maya.”

The others introduced themselves to her again, and Nancy watched the other kids get sorted. Next was a kid with bright blue hair and wire-framed glasses. He practically hopped up to the chair and waved hi to the hat. He was the first student Nancy noticed to begin to talk  _ with _ the hat as he was being sorted. After the two seemed to exchange a meaningful conversation, the sorting hat said, “ _ RAVENCLAW! _ ”

The next was a scrawny redheaded girl with the biggest amount of energy Nancy had seen. When the sorting hat called out “ _ HUFFLEPUFF! _ ” she whooped to herself and skipped over to the table. 

The next few names passed in a blur until “Marvin, Elizabeth” was called. As expected, she was sorted into Hufflepuff and sat next to a boy named Ned Nickerson, who was sorted right before her. Nancy thought he was cute, but she wasn’t going to admit that.

The last name she recognized in the group of first years was Deirdre Shannon. Nancy had known her because she lived in a neighborhood near Nancy, Bess, and George. It almost made Nancy laugh as the hat was barely on her head when it shouted, “ _ SLYTHERIN! _ ”

After that, she couldn’t remember all those names. At least not in the time given to her. There were a few more Gryffindors, but she only remembered the names of the girls who sat near her: Pua, Leela, Jessalyn. They seemed nice enough, but Nancy knew she was probably going to miss her friends. She glanced across the hall at the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw tables, then back at the Gryffindors. 

It wasn’t long before Headmaster Hugh Penvellyn stood up for his speech.

As he spoke, the other Gryffindors mostly talked over him.

“Did you know that he’s the youngest headmaster Hogwarts has ever had?” Said Maya, resting her chin in her hand. “He’s part of one of those noble pureblood families who’s also noble in the muggle world.”

“Oh, cool,” commented Rachel. “Isn’t he the one whose wife just died?”

Maya nodded. “Yeah. So now he’s a widower and single parent. His little girl is seven right now. Another fun fact, his aunt is the Transfiguration professor.”

“Really?” Jessalyn raised her eyebrows.

“Yeah. Apparently the family has been involved with Hogwarts for ages.”

After his speech ended, he waved his hands and suddenly the tables were covered with food from the feast. Instantly, the more hungry students reached out to begin filling their plates.

“Don’t mind if I do,” muttered Nick as he reached for a cheesy dinner roll.

Nancy laughed as she interacted with the other Gryffindors. She was certain she’d fit in here.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to credit my buddy @cuckoo-outlawoflove-in-nirvana from Tumblr for the creation of Henry's far-superior-to-the-last-one soon-to-be-girlfriend. He deserves to be happy, goddammit.


	2. Chapter One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nancy's first day at Hogwarts for her sixth year. The adventure begins...

The Hogwarts Express was just as busy as usual. Parents fussing over their children, seventh years freaking out over their books, second years zipping through the train cars as the others tried to retreat into their compartments. Nancy sighed. It was good to be back.

It was her sixth year at Hogwarts. She was both excited and nervous. She was in N.E.W.T.-level classes now, so there were no more easy classes with easy homework. Which probably meant she wouldn’t be helping any of the younger students with their classes. It was a shame. She liked helping them.

She yelped a little as she ran into someone in the hall. Looking up, she saw the face of Thanos Ganas, a seventh year who terrified pretty much the whole school.

“Watch it.”

She crossed her arms. “Maybe you should do the same.”

His demeanor was as calm as ever, but he still narrowed his eyes. “Don’t cross me.”

As he walked off, Nancy breathed a sigh of relief. She hated dealing with that guy. 

When she finally reached her compartment, she was welcomed by a cheerful, “Well, look who it is! Nancy Drew!”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Hi, Joe.”

The blond boy smiled and winked at her in a cheesy fashion. Beside him, his older brother, Frank, rolled his eyes.

“ _ Joe _ .”

“What? She knows I’m not serious!”

Bess, who was sitting near the door, giggled to herself. George stayed near the window, looking out over the rolling hill.

“Hey!” Ned said, walking into the compartment. “How are you guys?”

The Hardy brothers both nodded. “Good,” said Frank. “You?”

“Oh, I’m great!” He sat between the two and smiled brightly. “I’m quidditch captain this year, so it’s pretty exciting!”

“Nice.”

There was a gasp and then Joe quickly stood up. Eyes wide, Nancy asked, “What’s wrong?”

He smiled. “Oh, nothing much. I just realized that the food trolley passed without me noticing.” Holding out a hand to Bess, he said, “Care to join me?”

“Of course!” And they both went to chase down the food trolley.

George shook her head. “Those two, I swear…”

Ever since Bess’s third year and Joe’s second, they liked each other. First, it was just a crush on Bess’s side, but then in her fifth year and his fourth, they had begun to spend more time together. Nancy thought that they were adorable together. 

“There’s a new flying instructor this year, right?” Asked Ned.

Beside him, Frank nodded, looking down at his book. “Yeah. Jacques something.”

“Jacques Brunais, actually,” corrected George. “He’s kinda famous.”

“Hold on,  _ Jacques Brunais _ ?” Ned leaned forward. “ _ The _ Jacques Brunais?”

She furrowed her eyebrows. “Yeah, the only famous Jacques Brunais who plays quidditch.”

“How did I not know about this?”

Shrugging, she said, “Maybe you didn’t get the letter.”

A bit of color drained from his face as he looked toward the window. “I guess that would be why…”

Nancy gave him a look of concern. “You didn’t get the letter?”

He sighed. “Well, I did, but my owl dropped it in the rain when it came.”

“Oh no!” Quickly, she went to her bag and pulled out her own letter. “You can look at mine for the time being.”

“Thanks, Nancy,” he said, giving her his kind smile.

There was a small bump against the wall and a giggle. Nancy tilted her head up to see through the windows of the compartment. In the hall, a girl with blue hair had tripped and fallen. She was now laughing at herself. Beside her stood a gangly boy with messy black hair and light blue eyes. He waved through the glass at them.

Ned stood up and opened the door.

“Hey, Henry!”

“Hi, Ned,” he responded, giving him a small wave. “Lia was just taking me to the food trolley.”

“Well, I won’t try to stop you. Have fun, Henry!”

The blue-haired girl, Cecilia, laughed and seemed to drag Henry through the car. He enjoyed it though. Nancy could see how much he loved that girl. And he deserved a girl who treated him right. She remembered his last girlfriend, Summer, who was a stereotypical bad girl Slytherin who just used him. She was the kind of person that gave Slytherin a bad name. Even as a Gryffindor, Nancy admitted that.

The rest of the train ride was just the same as all the other ones. She just sat with Ned, Bess, George, and the Hardy brothers-- all crammed together in one compartment-- and they talked about their lives during summer, their hopes for the year, quidditch, books, mysteries, and the like. A few times, Joe had to get up to walk around, and whenever he did that, it suddenly got a lot quieter in the compartment until he returned. George would often get talking with Joe and Ned about quidditch. Sometimes, Frank and Nancy would start talking about a certain book they both read over summer and get carried away with that. No matter what conversation was being had between the friends, they always enjoyed each other’s company.

Nancy had a few moments to herself in the train compartment after the others left. Ned had gone off to talk with Henry, Bess and Joe were giggling together over a cheesy joke as they went away, and George had quickly grabbed her things and left.

“You okay?” Asked Frank, holding his bag over his shoulder. 

Nancy looked up. “What? Oh, yeah. Fine.”

“Good,” he said, holding the door open for her. “Wouldn’t want Gryffindor’s best prefect to be feeling down.”

They walked out the train and onto the platform together, pushing past the crowds of younger students. She saw the large crowd of first years gathered around the groundskeeper, Wade Thornton, and smiled.

“Remember when we were those kids?” She said, pointing at them.

Frank winced. “I have a feeling that this year’s classwork might make me forget.”

Well, they  _ had _ been warned that the sixth year in Hogwarts was one of the hardest. She’d heard grizzly tales of the homework and detention and the sleepless nights, but she’d hoped she’d be able to avoid that with a careful schedule. But now, as they entered the grounds, she didn’t think that the positive outlook she had earlier was going to last.

Wade Thornton has been the groundskeeper for only a few years. The previous one before him wanted to retire early so he could spend his days birdwatching, so Wade Thornton took the job. Nancy hadn’t really expected him to be in such a role. She had met him once before since he was one of her friends’ uncles. 

Speaking of her friend, Jessalyn bumped into her, nudging her playfully. 

“Hey, Nancy! Excited for this year?”

Nancy nodded. “Yeah. You?”

Groaning, Jessalyn threw her head back. “Listen, I know education is important and all, but I’m not a fan of homework. But, also, I do get to learn some cool stuff and I’m taking the Apparition class. So, yeah. I’m excited.”

“Jess!” Called a voice behind her. A blond boy ran up, his normally perfect hair disheveled. “Why’d you run off like that?”

She sighed. “I was just sayin’ hi to Nancy.”

Colton Birchfield shook his head. “Next time tell me where you’re going. I just turned around and you were gone.”

The brown-haired girl shrugged and chuckled. Turning to Nancy, she said, “I’ll see you later. Bye, Nancy! Bye, Frank!”

The two friends walked off as Nancy and Frank waved to them. 

Jessalyn was a spitfire, that was for sure, and Colton was more of a rule follower. He preferred sticking to safe stuff and practicing quidditch in a safe way, while Jessalyn did whatever she could just so she could get the most thrill out of life. 

“So,” started Frank, walking with Nancy to the castle. “How’s your dad?”

She pressed her lips together. “He’s good, I guess. The Ministry has been good to him.”

In the past two years, her father had been promoted to a higher position in the Ministry and earned a position in the courts as a member of the panel. It fit him well.

“Cool.” He put both hands on the strap of his messenger bag.

“What about your dad?” She asked. “How’s his work?”

Frank shrugged. “Hasn’t done anything too dangerous as of late. But recently, he told me there’s something suspicious going on in the Ministry in the Aurors department. He doesn't know what, though.”

“Hmm.” 

Nancy and Frank were on the same career path with the goal to become aurors. They had already solved a few cases in the wizarding world, putting a few people away in the process, but as an auror, they’d be solving a lot more. Besides, that way Frank and Joe, who was also on that path, could work as partners. They were already a crime-fighting duo together, so might as well get paid for it.

The halls inside Hogwarts were already crowded. Students were rushing in all different directions, and soon the first years would be going inside. Giving Frank a short wave, she said, “I’ve gotta get to my dorm. Bye!”

He smiled back at her, waving as she jogged up the stairs, climbing two at a time.

She had been informed, in her letter regarding her duties as a prefect this year, that the password to the Gryffindor common room was “blubbering banshees”, so upon entry with the other students, she taught them the password. Within the next few minutes, she was rushing up the stairs to her dorm, where Rachel Hubbard was unpacking her uniform.

Quickly, she changed from her jeans and green t-shirt into her uniform, pulling the sweater vest down to avoid any wrinkles. She hopped a bit putting her left shoe on, then put on a headband to keep her hair out of her face. 

At the intersection of the stairs between the boys and girls dormitories, Nancy ran into Dylan Carter, a seventh year, as he was going up.

“Well, hello, Miss Drew!” he said cheerfully as he grabbed the railing. 

She winced. “I’m so sorry! Are you okay?”

Nodding, he said, “Oh, I’m fine. See you later, love.” And he winked at her and continued up the stairs.

Nancy shook her head and smiled to herself. That young man was certainly a charmer. He was well known for being an amazing quidditch player but refusing to be on the team. When people asked why, he said it was because he wanted to just play it as a hobby without the competition. But Nancy thought there was something else going on with him. He always seemed a bit suspect.

She tugged her robes around her as she got into the common room, where Maya Nguyen and Alec Fell were talking. They were the seventh year prefects. Nancy has always expected Maya to be one, but never Alec. He wasn’t exactly known for following rules. Then again, the other choices for male prefect were Dylan Carter, Nick Falcone, and Matt Simmons. Unfortunately, Alec was the best out of all of them with following rules, which he wasn’t very good at.

As she passed through and they waved at her, she waved back and thought, this year is going to be a good one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating... Not regularly, but I will be updating. College isn't too crazy right now, so I'm getting as many chapters done as possible.  
> Anyway, thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter Two

Joe jogged to catch up with Nancy as he headed to the great hall.

“Hey! Nance!”

She turned around to him as he ran to her. They walked in together and sat down near the front. After making sure no one else but the Gryffindors could see him, he snuck a Pumpkin Pasty into his mouth.

“Wow,” said Pua Mapu, who sat across from him. “You’re seriously gonna eat that thing in one bite?”

He shrugged and continued the strenuous task of chewing the entire thing. If Frank were here, he’d flip a gasket. Luckily, there were too many people blocking his view from the Ravenclaw table.

The entire room erupted in applause as Headmaster Penvellyn stood up at his podium.

“Welcome, students, to this year at Hogwarts!” He paused for more clapping. “Now, before we begin, the sorting…”

Joe had lost interest after those words. He never much cared for speeches and stuff, unless it was a funny one. Unfortunately, Hugh Penvellyn wasn’t a funny guy, so Joe just drowned out the sound of his voice with trying to come up with more stupid jokes to annoy Frank with.

The sorting passed quickly, and Joe thought of jokes that were so stupid he almost laughed out loud to himself. So far, out of all the first years, the only one that really stood out to him was a kid named Lukas Mittelmeier, who reminded him of himself during his first year.

“Now,” began Headmaster Penvellyn again, “I would like to introduce the new teachers we have this year.” He brought forward two men, one with thick dark hair and a goatee, and one with darker skin and wire-framed glasses. “First, we have our new flying instructor, Jacques Brunais of the French National quidditch team--” he was interrupted by all the die-hard quidditch fans clapping for the man-- “and our new teacher of Muggle Studies, Professor Nigel Mookerjee.” 

The meeker man stepped forward, bowed slightly, and smiled, just barely.

“My final announcement this morning is that we have created a new event for this year. In honor of my late father and former headmaster, Alan Penvellyn, we at Hogwarts are pleased to announce the Christmas Ball.” 

There was a sudden hush from the students.

“The Christmas Ball will take place on the last night before winter holiday. It is 

“Some of you may be familiar with the famed Tri-Wizard Tournament. It will not happen again for many, many years, but it happened at my school when I was in my sixth year. My father, God rest his soul, loved Christmas more than anything. This year, he would have turned one hundred years old, so I thought this would be a nice tribute to him.” After clearing his throat, he announced:

“Now, on to our feast! May you all have a wonderful year at Hogwarts!”

And now, as usual, the tables were covered in food. That was Joe’s favorite part of the arrival to Hogwarts. A huge feast and tons of friends. Everything he could have asked for. 

“Hey, Joe!” Said a voice down a table to his right. He peeked out his head to see Leela Yadav wave to him. “You’re trying out for quidditch, right?” 

He nodded. “Yeah. I wanna try being a beater this year. I’ve got a great arm.”

“You sure do.”

Last year during the final game between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, he had to stop being a chaser for a few seconds and hit the bludger out of the way. He hit it so well that it knocked Brady Armstrong off his broom.

He missed quidditch. During the summer, he’d practice with Frank. He was good, but not competitive enough. And he didn’t like the fact that he’d have to practice all day when he wasn’t doing homework. Unlike Joe, Frank liked spending his free time reading and doing word and number puzzles and playing music and learning even more. It was all too stuffy for Joe. He liked the freedom of quidditch.

He almost choked on his bite of chicken when he heard, “Joe Hardy! Long time, no see!”

“Hello, Jason,” he said, turning to face the blond boy. 

Jason rested his hand on the table and winked at Nancy. “Hey, beautiful.”

She wasn’t amused.

“Bro, leave her alone.” Joe set his fork down. “Seriously, you don’t want to get her mad. It’s for your own good.”

He sighed and tilted his head. “Alright, but Nancy, it’s your loss.”

“ _ Jason _ ,” called his best friend, Mei Parry, from down the table. “Get your ass over here and stop being such a git.”

Joe could see Nancy become less irritated after Jason left. It wasn’t that Jason was a creep or anything, he wasn’t. He was just a chronic flirt with an incurable disease.

Beside him, Nancy asked, “So, Joe, there’s a ball this year.”

“Uh-huh.”

“So…” She nudged him. “Are you gonna take Bess?”

He squinted his eyes and looked up to the ceiling. “Yeah, most likely, if she doesn’t agree to go with another guy first.”

Nancy scoffed. “Please. She’s had her eye on you for ages.”

It was true. He did adore that girl.

After the feast, Joe ran up the moving stairs and into the Gryffindor common room. As soon as he got there, he fell backwards onto the couch and let out a huge sigh. It was good to be back.

“Hey! Hardy!” Called someone from the doorway. Alec Fell walked in, taking his sweater vest off and fixing his tie. “Can I count on ye to be at tryouts next week?”

He gave him a thumbs up. “I’ll see ya then, buddy.”

“Aye, I’ll see ye.”

Behind him came a bunch of first years, all confused with how casual he was. One of them muttered, “Aren’t prefects supposed to be all strict?”

The blond kid from earlier, Lukas, said, “I don’t know. Why are you asking me?”

Joe smiled at the first years. It would be nice having new faces around.

When he was a first year, he was way too excited. He did his best in all his classes and practiced as much as he could so he’d get into the quidditch team in his second year. He also spent time with Matt Simmons, who taught him a million and one pranks to pull on Frank, which he used during the summer. That was probably the most fun summer ever. For him, not Frank. It was a nightmare for his brother.

After he reached his dorm, he was greeted by Nick Falcone saying, “Joe! Take my new pamphlet!”

Joe pulled his chin back as the other guy shoved a piece of paper at him. 

“Read it!”

He took the pamphlet and opened it, reading aloud, “‘House-elf Advocates for Different and Ideal Treatment’?”

Nick nodded. “Someone has to take a stand. House-elves are being treated like slaves and we’re doing nothing to stop it! It’s time to take action!”

Raising his eyebrows, Joe handed it back. “Cool, but I think I’ll stick to just trying to get through the school year, okay?”

Luckily for him, Nick wasn’t  _ too  _ overzealous. He said, “Fine, but if you want to find actual purpose in your life, join HADIT and fight the power!”

To Nick’s left, Dylan Carter rolled his eyes.

“Hey, mate, you’ve got to stop all that, okay? No one is going to want to help you with that.”

“And why not?” He asked. “I have some people who have already signed up!”

“Really? Who?”

“Two Ravenclaws. Katie and Alejandro.”

“So, three people. That’s it?”

Nick looked down. “It’ll grow quickly.”

Patting his roommate’s back, Dylan said, “Don’t worry. More will come around to help you. I guarantee it.”

Nick hadn’t looked this down since the day in his sixth year when he found out he was one of the recipients of a large manor after an old man died. He had to share a large manor with his least favorite person: Brady Armstrong. It was actually kind of funny to Joe.

Calm and content, Joe fell back onto his bed and sighed. He was excited for this year.


	4. Chapter Three

Of course, classes had to start on a Tuesday. Frank was completely overloaded with work. Mondays were fine, Wednesdays and Fridays were very open, and Thursdays were a little harder. But Tuesdays were the most work he did. Care of Magical Creatures, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Ghoul Studies, and Transfiguration. All N.E.W.T.-level. All bringers of mountains of homework. The only reason it wasn't unbearable is that his partner in those classes was Nancy, and they were one of the best duos in class.

After getting out of Transfiguration with Professor Drake, he and Nancy walked down the halls, sticking to the wall to avoid the oncoming students running all over. He noticed a few students running faster than the others, and he figured they were on their way to practice before quidditch tryouts. 

“So, want to meet up on Fridays in the great hall to practice Transfiguration?” Asked Nancy, looking up at him. “I think it would help.”

He nodded. “Yeah, that would be great.”

“Keen!” She said, holding her books tighter to her chest. “We’re gonna do great in these classes.”

“‘Keen’?” He asked. “When did you start using that word?”

She shrugged. “I read it and thought it was cute.”

Well, it was cute when she said it. He tilted his head to the side and looked up. “Hmm. Maybe I’ll use it more often.”

“Maybe.”

They came to the staircases and Nancy turned to him, holding out her hand. “Well, Mr. Hardy, I’ll see you later. I’ve got to go finish my homework as soon as I possibly can.”

Shaking her hand, he said, “And I’ve got to do the same. It was a pleasure working with you, Miss Drew.”

“Likewise,” she told him, then turned in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.

The Ravenclaw tower wasn’t as “perfect” or “beautiful” or “peaceful” as other houses thought it to be. In fact, it was rather chaotic most of the time. Over the years, a stereotype had formed that all Ravenclaws are perfect students and perfect popular kids and just mostly perfect in general. 

That was far from the truth.

Upon entering the common room, he was bombarded with a piece of wadded up paper to the face.

“Ow!” He said. “Who threw that!”

From the couch, Sonny Joon raised his hand and said, “My bad.”

Frank closed his eyes and sighed. “Just… Try not to throw things in here, okay?”

Sonny nodded, but added, “I was only trying to make it into the rubbish bin.”

“Well, maybe try not to do that, okay? You never know who might be coming.” He walked over and patted Sonny’s arm. “Just be glad it was me and not Mason.”

The mention of that name made Sonny make a face. It was not quite disgust and not quite amusement. Mason Quinto was the seventh year male prefect of Ravenclaw house. He wasn’t a huge stickler for the rules, in fact, Frank had seen him break them a few times (but he himself also broke them occasionally). But Mason was feral, as said by Mel Corbalis, another friend of Frank’s.

Frank shared a room with Sonny, Colton Birchfield, and Mason. Frank used to think  _ he  _ was a neat freak until he started rooming with Mason. The contrast between the living spaces was almost a progression of messiness or neatness, depending on where you started. First, there was Mason, who had everything in specific places and in a certain order and he couldn’t function properly without it like that, which Frank completely understood. He also had barely anything sentimental, which led to the conclusion from Sonny that Mason was actually some kind of muggle robot. Frank was next in the succession, having a decently organized living area. He had a few pictures of him and Joe and their parents. Nothing much. Colton was a bit messier. He had trouble remembering to put his clothes away, but he was fine. Then there was Sonny. His area was so chaotic that sometimes Mason would get mad just by looking at it. It wasn’t necessarily messy, but the order of everything was so wild. He had blue and purple and alien-themed everything and the wall behind his bed was covered in his doodles. 

Frank set his bag on his bed and sighed. Time for homework.

After collecting his homework and walking down to the common room, where he liked to study with his friend, Mel, he took out a small box of gum and chewed on a bit of it to help him concentrate.

“Hey,” said Mel, sitting down next to him. “What’s up?”

He tapped his quill on the parchment. “I’m trying to figure out just what she wants me to say here.”

Looking over his shoulder, she said, “I think she just wants us to do an analysis of the spell itself.”

“Ah.”

He wrote the answer down quickly as she said, “So, you’re partners with Nancy this year, huh?”

He confirmed that.

“Anything else I should know about?”

Turning around to face her, he rested his elbow on the table and gave her a look. “No. Nothing else you should know about.”

“Really?” Mel’s smile was as sly as ever. “Sounds like there's a bit more on your side of things.”

“It’s nothing.”

“Maybe you should talk to her about it.”

He narrowed his eyes. “She has a boyfriend.”

“Damn it,” she said, crossing her arms. “And he’s a nice guy, too.”

“Yeah…”

Luckily for him, an even bigger piece of drama walked in. Ellie York walked in, a small scowl on her face. And for her, an extremely polite “good girl”, that was a lot.

“What is it this time?” Asked Mel, turning toward the other girl.

Ellie sighed. “I was working on my potions project with Jamila, and Mason came in with Alejandro to work on theirs. Mason and I may have gotten into a heated debate, which may have also caused us to get distracted and not notice that the potions were boiling too much.” She pulled on one of her curls angrily. “Now I have to clean all this out of my hair and try to come up with a better plan to avoid him.” She clenched her fists and breathed deeply to try and calm her anger. 

“He’s an asshole,” commented Mel.

Ellie nodded. “Can’t argue with that.” 

As she climbed up the stairs, Frank noticed a folded piece of paper in her hand. He tried to get a better look at it, but she walked away too fast. 

“I’m sorry you have to room with that guy.” 

Frank shrugged. “He’s not as bad as people think he is.”

“Let me guess, he’s worse?”

“No,” said Frank, shaking his head. “He’s a pretty good roommate. Keeps his area neat. Doesn’t mess with our areas. Has a strict schedule. Terrible person, great roommate.”

“Huh. Did not expect that.” She pulled on one of the pink strands in her hair. “I’m just glad I have decent roommates. Kim might be forgetful, but George is alright. Jamila is barely ever there, though.”

The door opened and slammed and in walked an angry Joanna Riggs. 

“ _ Where’s Alejandro? _ ” She asked with the intensity of a storm.

Mel shrugged. “I really don’t care where he is.” Furrowing her brow, she said, “And you hate him! Why do you care?”

“Because we were assigned to be partners in our project for the Ancient Runes and he refused because he doesn’t trust me and if I don’t have a partner, I don’t get a passing grade!” She sat down on the couch and kicked her feet up. “You know? Ever since he made that stupid rule, I’m now sure that Professor van der Hune has his pointy little van der head up his van der ass.”

Frank had to bite his lip to keep from laughing. 

Anyone who said Ravenclaw was the “perfect house” would never believe the drama going on inside.

A week later, Frank found himself eating breakfast at the Gryffindor table with Nancy and Joe. It wasn’t customary, but it wasn’t really a rule. 

“Can you pass the muffins?” Asked Joe, mouth full of sausage.

Nancy reached over the table and handed him the plate. As soon as he could, he grabbed a muffin off and gave her a big smile with his mouth still full of sausage.

For some reason, Nancy seemed a bit distant today. Frank couldn’t figure out why. He also knew that he shouldn’t just ask her. Nancy, of course, was the opposite, and would probably snoop in a person’s belongings and then bluntly and tactlessly confront them.

Frank actually had tact.

After finishing his breakfast, Frank took his things and left with a simple, “See you later, guys.” Nancy said she’d be right behind him, Joe just waved and said something unintelligible through a mouth of food.

Today was Monday, which meant it was the first day of potions. N.E.W.T.-level potions, to be exact. He’d always been told of the daunting class of sixth year N.E.W.T.-level potions, but he had hope that it wouldn’t be as hard as he thought it was.

Frank stood beside Nancy at the table near the front of the class, where they always were. He set his bag on the floor and took out his potions book,  _ Advanced Potion-Making _ , setting it on the table. His was a bit worn compared to Nancy’s, which was brand new. He almost jumped out of his skin when the girl next to him slammed her book on the table.

“Wow! This is just like the real thing!” She said, turning her head around to look at the potions lab. Her short red hair stook out from her headband. “Niko was right, this place is awesome.”

Beside her was a girl Frank and Nancy knew a bit too well; Deirdre Shannon. She was one of those Slytherins that belonged in the house. In the past she had done unethical things to get what she wanted, but since then, she had redeemed herself. Last year, her cousin Mei, who was in Gryffindor, was almost convicted of using magic outside of Hogwarts and their muggle neighbors were beginning to grow suspicious. Nancy had found proof she hadn’t used any magic and helped them ease the muggles. It was extremely difficult since Mei and Teegan, her sister, lived in Salem, which was one of the “witchiest” places known to muggles. Ever since then Deirdre was different, especially towards Nancy. Frank could tell that even though they weren’t really friends, there was mutual respect and trust between them now.

The professor’s door opened and a tall man with greying brown hair walked out, rolling up the sleeves of his blue robes.

“Good afternoon, students,” said Niko Jovic, walking to his board and grabbing the chalk. “As it is your first day of potions, I will give you all a little pop quiz to see where you stand in your education.”

Frank heard Nancy wince. He leaned over a little to her and said, “You practically have a photographic memory, you’ll do fine.”

She nudged him a little in response.

Niko wrote a simple question on the board, using the chalk to loudly dot the question mark at the end.

“What color should the Wit-Sharpening Potion be before you at the Ground Scarab Beetles?”

Frank raised his hand, but Niko called on the red-haired Hufflepuff.

“Yes, Miss Kilpatrick?”

“Blue!”

He nodded. “That is correct.” Erasing the previous question, he wrote another and turned back to the class. “What is the last ingredient of the Draught of Peace?”

Ryan Kilpatrick’s hand flew up again, this time countering Nancy.

“Yes, Miss Kilpatrick?”

“Hellebore!”

“Well done, but next time I have to call on someone else, alright?” He wrote down another question. “What are the exact effects of Weedosoros?”

Frank raised his hand just a moment before Nancy.

“Yes, Mr. Hardy?”

“The exact effects are unknown, but we do know it causes convulsions and other side effects.”

“Correct, Mr. Hardy. One more question.” He read it aloud as he wrote it down. “I want you all… To name all the ingredients of Doxycide on a piece of parchment. When your time is up, I will read the ingredients aloud as you mark off which ones you got right or wrong.”

As soon as he finished, Nancy had already grabbed her parchment and quill from her bag. Frank almost dropped his after he took it out, but caught it right in time to avoid the ever-judgmental eyes of Izzy Romero. He hated her.

Five minutes later, Professor Jovic called time and then cleared his throat.

“Students, ready your parchments. The ingredients are: Bundimun Ooze, Streeler shells, dragon liver, hemlock essence, Tormentil tincture, and Cowbane essence.”

Frank let out a breath of relief. He got them all right. And by the looks of Nancy’s grin, she did too.

“Now, I believe, your brains are warmed up enough to get to the harder potions.” There was a dull sigh from the back of the classroom as he said, “Open your textbooks to page seventy-two.”


	5. Chapter Four

Nancy chewed on a hangnail as she held the letter in her hand. Her pulse still rushed even after the hundredth time of reading it. Even when she had finished, she went through to see if there was anything else. A secret code, invisible ink, she even checked for microdots. Nothing. Just the words on the parchment. It read:

Dear Moira,

I have been compromised. I have nowhere to turn but to you. Revenant found me and they have found the researcher, stole his work, and killed him. Contact Cathedral and alert them of my status. If you can, send me backup.

The potion was not even close to being finished, but the fact that they have it is still very bad. I’ve sent a tip to the Ministry, but I don’t think they’ll respond. Minister Krolmeister was very busy with other matters last time I spoke with him.

I haven’t sent an owl to Carson yet, but I suspect if anything happens to me that Cathedral will notify him of that. If I do not escape this alive, I want you to send this to Nancy when she is old enough. I want her to know, but I don’t want her to know too soon. If I survive, I will tell her and teach her little things. If I don’t… This letter might be the last thing she has from me.

Stay safe.

Kate

The letter had come two days before the train left for Hogwarts. A mysterious owl had thrown it through her open window and flew off. She had no chance to send anything back or maybe see if it had identification. All that was left was a single feather that blew away and that single letter on the floor.

Nancy quickly folded it up and put it in her drawer as the door to the dormitory opened and Rachel walked in, hair in her face. As she walked to her bed, she said, “A guy actually talked to me today. We had a nice conversation in Arithmancy.”

Tilting her head, Nancy replied, “Really? Who?”

“A cute Slytherin.” She sat down on her bed and pulled her blanket over her legs. “I think you know him. Kit Foley.”

Nancy nodded. “Yeah, he is cute.”

“A bit too ambitious, but what else can you expect from a Slytherin?”

That made both girls chuckle a bit. Nancy sighed after a moment.

“You know,” she said, “it’s kind of nice having a boyfriend. I really hope you get that too.”

Rachel gave her a small smile. She never really had the best social skills. During their first and second years, she squared herself away in her dormitory area when she wasn’t in class. However, her sister was far quieter than her. Rachel could get aggressive when she wanted to be. It was amusing watching her in the stands at quidditch games.

“I figured,” she said, leaning back onto her mountain of pillows at the headboard. “You and Ned are pretty cute, you know that?”

Nancy smiled to herself. “Yeah. We are.”

But it was different now. Ever since the last mystery in Salem… They had been different. Nancy would keep forgetting him and leaving him behind. She knew she was a horrible girlfriend, but she didn’t want that to get in the way between her and Ned. They were trying hard to make it work, but it was hard. She didn’t like having to separate her life in two.

And it seems like that was what her mother did.

Nancy quickly tugged a Gryffindor cardigan over her shoulders, grabbed her satchel, and slipped on a pair of loafers before heading out the dormitory and down the stairs. She waved to Joe and Maya as she passed through the common room.

The stairwell was almost completely empty save for a few third years running around. She sighed and went down the steps as quickly as possible.

It was almost dinner time now, and she only had about an hour to spare until then. Racing across the grounds, she made her way to Wade Thornton’s hut in the middle of the pumpkin patch and graveyard.

It was weird how he liked it there, so Nancy had asked him a while back why he did. He looked around, crossed his arms, looked out into the distance, and said, “I like bein’ out here. Where I can keep an eye on everything that wants to keep an eye on me.” She never asked about it again after that.

“Nancy!” Called a voice from in front of his hut. 

Bess Marvin was sitting on a small bench and waving as Nancy ran toward her. Beside Bess, George was leaning against a tombstone. Her Ravenclaw jumper was a bit dulled from being worn so much. Behind them, on his porch, Wade sat, drinking a homemade bottle of butterbeer.

“What’s the big deal, Nance?” Asked George.

She took a few moments to regain her breath after running through the castle. A few breaths, later, she said, “I need to talk to you guys about something. It’s weird and I just need someone to talk to about it.”

On the steps of his hut, Wade asked, “What is it?”

Over the years, ever since she had helped find Jessalyn when she was lost in the Forbidden Forest, Wade had become like an uncle to her. Her only relative other than her father was her Aunt Eloise, so it was nice to have a sort of uncle.

“It’s about my mom.”

He nodded and stood up. “It’s a familial matter, so I’ll stay out of it. You girls go on. Feel free to wander around. There’s a few apples ready on the tree over there.” He pointed, then walked inside.

Looking over to the tree, Nancy said, “Feel like apples?”

Bess groaned. “Nancy, just tell us, okay?”

After a look from George, she sighed and pulled the letter out of her satchel and showed it to them as they walked as a trio to the apple tree. George took it and read it in a faint whisper, Bess looking over her shoulders. It took them a minute or two to get through the whole thing.

“Oh my God, Nancy…” Bess looked at her with wide eyes.

She nodded. “Yeah, I know.”

“What does this mean?” Asked George, putting a hand on her hip.

“I have no idea… But I’m going to try and see if this Moira knows anything about my mother. If I can find her, at least.”

She took an apple from the tree, twisting the stem a bit, and took a bite as George said, “Wait, isn’t the Hardys’ dad an auror?”

“Yeah,” she said through a full mouth. “Are you suggesting I go to them?”

Bess nodded. “They actually have experience in stuff like this. Not us.”

She had a point. Though they were helpful and fun and wonderful, they couldn’t do anything about this. The Hardy brothers could.

“Good call,” she said.

George handed back the letter and Nancy carefully folded it and put it in her bag, patting the flap closed.

“Well, after dinner, I’m off to annoy the Hardy Boys,” she announced.

“Like you could ever annoy them.” George rolled her eyes.

Nancy shook her head at her and then ran up the stairs back to the castle, two steps at a time.

They met her in the library later that evening. While Nancy and Frank were analyzing the letter, Joe leaned back in a chair blowing a feather in the air.

“So, what are you saying, Nance?” Whispered Frank, leaning over to her.

Leaning back, she said, “Just read it again.”

He began to talk, then stopped and started again. “I know what it says, and I’m going to tell you, with all the Ministry information Joe and I have from our clearance, we have no idea what Cathedral is.”

“Maybe it’s just a code name,” asked Joe from his chair.

“Maybe.” Frank rubbed his chin. “We can’t really be sure. I’ll send an owl to my dad, but if we get inconclusive answers, we may have to… You know.”

“Snoop,” said Nancy, finishing his sentence. “I know. It’s what I’m good at.”

She smiled at Frank for a while until Joe cursed and said, “Frank! It’s seven! You promised you’d help me practice for tryouts.”

The older brother winced and shrank back a little. “Sorry, Nance,” he said, “but I did promise.”

“Oh, it’s fine,” she said. “You two go practice quidditch. I’ll stay here and look for stuff.”

Both boys stood up and left quickly, Frank knocking over a pile of books as Joe rushed past him. Nancy always felt so happy around them. Maybe it was because of the funny moments like those.

She continued to sit in silence at the center of the library. Occasionally, she’d hear whispers and a book being closed shut, but it was a very nice, quiet ambiance overall. Until she heard another pile of books fall behind her.

Turning around quickly, she saw a Slytherin young man picking up books from the ground, muttering to himself. She got up and knelt down beside him, handing him a book. He took it and looked up at her.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it,” she said, shrugging.

After they picked up the books and put them back on the shelves and into the neat pile they were originally in, they just stood and looked at each other. The boy ran his fingers through his golden waves and took in a deep breath.

“I’m Grigor,” he said. “I’ve seen you before, haven’t I?”

She nodded. “Yeah. I get around, I guess.”

“Oh, right!” He snapped his fingers. “You were the girl who took down that one guy who was trying to kill the actor from London.”

“Yeah, Dwayne Powers.” As he processed that, she said, “He’s in Azkaban, don’t worry.”

He gave a sigh of relief. “Well, that’s good. I’m an actor myself, so I guess the fact that you put him away makes me feel safe around you. Is that weird?”

She squinted her eyes and pursed her lips as she feigned deep thought. When she had had her moment, she said, “Yeah. I’m less of a protector and more of a danger magnet.”

“Oh, really?” 

“Really.”

He shook his head at her. “So, what? Do you think we’re friends now?”

They had only known each other for a few minutes, and he was already this friendly? Nancy tried to see through his facade, if there was any. No matter how hard she tried, he seemed genuine. But then again, he  _ was _ an actor. Nonetheless, she gave him a response.

“Yeah, we can be friends.”

Raising his eyebrows a little, he asked, “More than friends?”

She gave a little laugh. “No.”

“Eh. I had to try.”

He walked her to the door and when they were finally out of the library, he bowed to kiss her hand and said, “Till we meet again, Miss Nancy Drew.”

She felt her cheeks flush just a hint as he walked off.

“I’ll see you around, Grigor.”

From down the hall, he shouted to her, “That you will!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, MID stuff.... Um, I'm pretending all the "drama" didn't happen and that the relationship is just strained between the two without the ..... *shudders* drama...
> 
> Anyway, I'm gonna try to post as often as possible. I live on the west coast of the US, and everything is on fire right now, so I'm having a LOT of health struggles. Most of my brainpower from this point on will be directed at my college course work until I can get thinking well again. I have a lot of chapters already written, so I will try to update periodically with this.  
> Anyway, ciao.


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